Regular listeners of the Marketing Futures Podcast know the topic of artificial intelligence is discussed here all the time. But today, we’re talking with someone who will help shape the technology’s future in the United States. My guest is none other than Representative Jay Obernolte, the chairman of the House Task Force on Artificial Intelligence. Jay and I discussed the roles of ethics, data, and public trust in the development of AI, and the congressman gave me something to think about that left me speechless.

Regular listeners of the Marketing Futures Podcast know we like to talk to our guests about the role of diversity, equity, and inclusivity in innovation. These discussions usually center around race, ethnic background, language, gender, and other physical differences. But rarely do we talk about neurodiversity. That changes now. Our guest today is Alice Walker, Senior Strategist at adam&eveDDB. A few years back, Alice learned something about herself – that she happened to be an individual with autism and had been “masking” to get along in society her entire life. But now, it’s her mission to turn the narrative around, and talk about the “superpowers” possessed by neurodiverse individuals. Alice and host Mike Berberich discussed how, by creating an inclusive work environment, brands can do the right thing, and harness that power to boost their bottom line at the same time.

Over the past few years, the Marketing Futures Podcast has covered the subject of AI in almost every way possible. But today, we’re talking about the very fuel on which the technology runs: data. Our guest today is Stephani Estes, Chief Media Officer of Goodway Group. Stephani and host Mike Berberich discussed the evolution of data in marketing over the years, the difference between an insight and an observation, and the importance of bravery in a data-driven marketing world.

The Marketing Futures Podcast returns to the 2024 ANA Brand Masters Conference to speak with Bridget Sponsky, Executive Director of Marketing at Ally Financial. Bridget stopped by the pod to discuss one of host Mike Berberich’s favorite subjects: creating brands built for the future. For Ally, a key part of becoming a future-facing brand was capturing the hearts and minds of Gen Z. Stick around to learn how they did it, as well as where Ally sees itself – and the industry as a whole – is headed.

Marketing Futures Podcast host Mike Berberich returns to the 2024 Brand Masters Conference to talk to Brad Barnett, Vice President of Enterprise Marketing at Nationwide. Brad shares how the brand has been able to evolve its iconic jingle over the years without losing any of its equity among consumers, and how nurturing its partnership with former NFL star Peyton Manning has been critical to building the brand.

Marketing Futures Podcast host Mike Berberich is back with another edition of the special series from the 2024 Brand Masters Conference in Carlsbad, California. In the marketing game, it’s all about relationships, particularly the one between consumer and company. And, whether you’re a brand or awkward high schooler, there’s no worse place to find yourself than in the friend zone. Our guest today is here to help you out. In fact, he literally wrote the book on it! Marketing expert and author of Moving Your Brand Out of the Friend Zone, Dough Zarkin joined the pod to lay out the different relationship zones that exist between customers and brands, and how to utilize “human thinking” to take your relationships to the next level.

Marketing Futures Podcast host Mike Berberich returns to Carlsbad, California for the next edition of the 2024 ANA Brand Masters Conference miniseries. Today’s guest is on a mission to help curb tobacco use in children and young adults, and in 2024, that means one thing: Stop the vape. Elizabeth Kenny is the CMO of the TRUTH Initiative, and on today’s episode, we discuss the insights and discoveries behind the nonprofit’s latest campaign, aimed at the elusive Gen Z generation. Find out how TRUTH connected with an audience that shuns traditional marketing and has historically low faith in institutions by meeting them where they’re at.

For those looking to quit...

TRUTH's free and anonymous text message program – This is Quitting – is helping more than 700,000 young people on their journey to quit. Any young person looking for help can text DITCHVAPE to 88709.

They also have free resources for adult quitters and parents of young tobacco users through EX Program. Those resources can be found directly at: BecomeAnEX.org.

Young people can get involved with the truth campaign efforts by visiting thetruth.com.

Learn more about the organization at TruthInitiative.org.

ANA’s Marketing Futures Podcast returns with another episode recorded on the ground at the 2024 ANA Brand Masters Conference in Carlsbad, California. Host Mike Berberich’s guest is none other than the host of this year’s Brand Masters Conference, CPG Marketing Expert Fernando Herrera. Berberich and Herrera discussed the evolution of omnichannel marketing over the years, and the challenge marketers face syncing the digital and physical worlds. They also shared their thoughts on AI’s role in the marketing function and talked about how to leverage the new hybrid/remote workforce to your advantage.